Minority Populations Booming in Va.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by terrence81

I think my family got a more detailed form for the 1990 census but I was in the 3rd grade so of course I don't remember if we filled it out or not. I think the reason they don't ask for more information is because its hard enough getting people to fill out the forms as is.

yes, we refer to "the short form" and "the long form"

Mods - since this is a "DATA" site, it would be great if there was some FAQ about census data. There seems to be ALOT of ignorance about it.

[brooklynborndad]

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census - Wikipedia

How data on race and ethnicity are used

The OMB states that “many federal programs are put into effect based on the race data obtained from the decennial census (i.e., promoting equal employment opportunities; assessing racial disparities in health and environmental risks). Race data are also critical for the basic research behind many policy decisions. States require these data to meet legislative redistricting requirements. The data are needed to monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act by local jurisdictions."
"Data on ethnic groups are important for putting into effect a number of federal statutes (i.e., enforcing bilingual election rules under the Voting Rights Act; monitoring and enforcing equal employment opportunities under the Civil Rights Act). Data on Ethnic Groups are also needed by local governments to run programs and meet legislative requirements (i.e., identifying segments of the population who may not be receiving medical services under the Public Health Act; evaluating whether financial institutions are meeting the credit needs of minority populations under the Community Reinvestment Act).”[5]

[pcity]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

yes, there is no seperate middle easterner category, white is taken to mean "caucasian" rather than "european"

But Asian is a "race" for census purposes too though, isn't it? An Iranian, for instance, is Caucasian, but also from the continent of Asia.

(Just illustrating another problem with this data.)

[FindingZen]

While this thread has been a primarily respectful discussion and debate, the advisory to stay relevant to Northern Virginia - or continue the discussion on the Politics or Great Debates forums - has been more often ignored than followed.

Thread closed.